The Corporate Benefits of Microlearning

Posted on Thu, 05/03/2018 - 08:52

Millennial employees value learning and development to a great extent. A 2016 Gallup survey confirms that 87% of millennials consider learning opportunities to be an important factor for choosing a job. If they believe there are not enough learning opportunities in their organization, they may consider switching jobs. However, they are not keen on traditional modes of learning. They prefer microlearning sessions.

Microlearning refers to delivering learning modules in the form of short, bite-sized nuggets. The learning nugget is usually three to five minutes in duration and focuses on one specific learning objective. This learning solution is aimed at providing training just-in-time and can be accessed from any device of their choice.

Here are six benefits of microlearning.

#1: It addresses the problem of short attention spans

The attention spans of learners, more so millennial learners, are on the fall. In these times of a boom in technology and social media, they are easily distracted. Also, your employees are adept at multitasking. They do not like doing the same thing for long periods of time. Microlearning is the best solution to address this issue. Each nugget is short and precise. Your learners do not need to spend too much time on each topic. Microlearning modules can be presented in the form of videos, podcasts, simulations, quizzes, and so on.

#2: It provides performance support

Microlearning provides just-in-time information to your employees. Learners tend to remember information when they receive it at the point of need. For example, one of your employees is working on a tool and gets stuck midway. He looks for help and finds an online tutorial for that specific step. He goes through the video and is able to move ahead with his work. This kind of just-in-time performance support commits knowledge to the learner’s long-term memory. Your learners will remember the information for a long time.

#3: It is accessible anytime and from anywhere

Microlearning modules are available online. Therefore, your employees can access them any time they wish and from anywhere. They are short modules so learners can view them during pockets of free time. They need not be tied down to their workstation or any other physical location. This freedom to choose where and when they want to learn motivates them to take control. There have been so many instances where employees have had to stretch their work day to accommodate face-to-face learning sessions. In this sense, microlearning can promote a healthier work-life balance.

You have to keep in mind that the learners who access modules on-the-go will see the content on their mobile devices. As a result, your learning nuggets have to be responsive. Also, since microlearning is online, it saves the organization significant amounts of money compared to conducting classroom training.

#4: It does not take up too much time

The microlearning nuggets are short and to the point. Your learners can complete them without having to invest much time. It is not even necessary to schedule specific time for learning. Whenever they have five or ten minutes of free time, they can go through a couple modules. Since each module is focused on a single idea, the learners do not have to sort through piles of content to find what they need. They can navigate straight to the topic of interest. Small bits of information at the right time reduce the cognitive load and help in better recall and retention.

#5: It caters to different learning preferences

Not all learners are same. Some prefer visual learning, while others prefer auditory modes of learning. With classroom training, you cannot invest time and effort to create the same course in different formats to cater to individual learning preferences. But with microlearning libraries, your employees have the power to choose the resource suitable their style of learning. If some people prefer videos, they can opt for video-based modules. Others can go through the podcast on the same topic. Also, when your employees realize that you have put in a great amount of effort to customize the learning to their needs, they tend to invest deeper in the course.

#6: It facilitates real-world application of the knowledge

If you want the learners to really remember what they have learned, then make them apply the knowledge. Microlearning libraries do that right away. Think back to our example of an employee who gets stuck while working on a tool, then refers to a microlearning module for help. He is putting his newly-acquired knowledge into action immediately.